Congressional Republicans on the House Oversight Committee are preparing for a hearing this week focused on the sanctuary policies of big city mayors, including Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson.
The hearing, scheduled for Wednesday, will feature committee members questioning Johnson, along with other sanctuary city participants including Boston Mayor Michelle Wu, Denver Mayor Mike Johnston, and New York City Mayor Eric Adams. The focus will be on their sanctuary city policies, which limit local police cooperation with federal immigration enforcement.
These policies have been a point of contention, especially with the Trump administration’s push to arrest large numbers of undocumented immigrants, including “targeted operations” in Chicago in January. The hearing will aim to hold the mayors accountable for their positions on immigration.
“The pro-illegal alien mayors of Boston, Chicago, Denver, and New York City have implemented reckless, illegal policies that shield criminal aliens from federal immigration enforcement and endanger public safety,” said Committee Chairman James Comer (R-Kentucky), in a statement. “Criminal alien predators should not be free to roam our communities. State and local governments that refuse to comply with federal immigration enforcement efforts should not receive a penny of federal funding.”
A recent poll conducted by M3 Strategies shows that nearly 80% of likely Chicago voters disapprove of Mayor Brandon Johnson’s job performance.
The survey, conducted between February 20 and 21 among nearly 700 likely voters, found that 79.9% of respondents disapprove of Johnson’s record, while only 6.6% approve. This gives him a net favorability rating of -73.3%.
About 12% of respondents had a neutral opinion of the mayor. The findings align with previous polling that has reflected growing frustration over crime, city finances, and leadership issues within Chicago Public Schools.
